ACLU of Alabama holds food drive to encourage voter registration

TUSKEGEE, Ala. (WSFA) – With just one day left to register to vote in Alabama, the American Civil Liberties Union partnered with local farmers to encourage people to register to vote.

“We realize there’s a lot of voter apathy across the state simply because folks just need to be supported for their basic necessities,” said Kenya Shavers, voting rights coordinator for ACLU of Alabama.

The ACLU wants to be sure that not only do people show up and show out at the polls, but that all their needs are met and taken care of. That’s why as a part of their project MOVE, which stands for Making Our Voices Echo, the non-partisan program held a food drive at Shady Grove Blueberry Patch in Tuskegee. However, this food drive was unlike any other.

“The ACLU is supporting us today to ensure the residents have an opportunity to get some fresh food,” said Fresh Greens Market co-founder Erica Washington. “Everything is better fresh, and what we know about medicine, food is medicine, so if we want to be living and well and vibrant, we need living and vibrant food.”

For Tuskegee concept biology student Michael Adedeji who moved here from Nigeria just two months ago, seeing this, he says, was a beautiful thing.

“Most everything they are giving is natural stuff that can also boost our immune system to fight against diseases in this society, so that makes it something I’m very happy to be here to just see how things are going,” Adedeji said.

The best part? Everything there from produce, to massage therapy, to baked goods and more, was completely free.

The ACLU encourages you to check your voter registration status, and you can do so at the Alabama Secretary of State’s website.

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